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Version Differences
Between the regional release dates of Donkey Kong 64, some changes were made to the game. Since some time-saving glitches were removed, it is highly recommended to use the American version for speedruns. If you live outside the US or do not have a cartridge, you can purchase one on eBay. Note that you'll need to use an American N64 for the NTSC version or remove the physical region lock (the plastic blocks inside the game slot or the ones on the back of the cartridge) if you have a Japanese console. Also, a region converter can be used to play the game in any region, but it's more likely to run on the system it was intended to be played on. Versions *NTSC: North American version, released on November 24, 1999. Referred to as US. *PAL: European version, released on December 6, 1999. *NTSC-J: Japanese version, released on December 10, 1999. Referred to as JP. There are no re-releases on other platforms like Virtual Console. Differences *US and J run at 60 Hz and ~30 fps, but PAL runs at 50 Hz and ~25 fps. *In JP, you can't skip dialogues with B, but there is a lot less text and you can still hold A to make it faster. *In PAL and JP, Swim Through Shores doesn't work on fairy island, but you can still use it on DK island and swim beneath the ground to get there. *Swim Through Vertical Walls does not work in PAL and JP. *Inside the mill in Fungi Forest, you can walk through the gap between a beam and a box near the Mini Monkey entrance using DK, Chunky or Lanky. This does not work in PAL and JP because the box was extended to the right side, removing the gap. *In Jungle Japes, you can jump through Tiny's shell in the area with warp pad 5. This does not work in PAL and JP. *In US, the banana medals in Hideout Helm will be grayed out forever if you don't collect them right away. This was fixed in PAL and JP. *In JP, the Nintendo logo at the start is white, as opposed to red in US and PAL. *In JP, the title screen displays the Japanese translation of Donkey Kong (ドンキーコング) below the game logo. *US and JP are English and Japanese only, respectively, whereas PAL has a language section in the options menu, which features English, Spanish, German and French. *The propellers on K. Rool's ship and inside Snide's H.Q. were changed from red to blue in PAL and JP. *The part of the Forest boss intro cutscene where Chunky bows in fear was cut out in PAL and JP. *JP has a different font for the DK Rap lyrics and white timers. PAL Issues The PAL slowdown does not make timers run any slower, making some timed challenges more difficult. For example, the Golden Banana inside the mechanical fish in Galleon is almost impossible to get.